Budget Spotlight - All Day Budget Meeting Highlights

Special Budget meeting highlights
This week Committee of the Whole held two special meetings to review the draft 2021 budget. During these meetings Members of Council heard from department heads on their proposed 2021 capital and operational budgets. Members then posed questions to staff to gain further background information on their draft 2021 budget requests.

The Treasurer provided updates on the budget process, changes already made and the current budget shortfall. This year the budget process is spread over a few months to allow Council Members the opportunity to fully review the budget and to encourage public engagement and education.

Following the second special meeting on Thursday, Council Members directed staff to look into identifying priorities and budget items that can either be removed or phased in over a number of years. In addition, information will also be provided by staff that gives more rationale for budget increases, identified new items and budget implications of the Strategic Plan and results of the Service Delivery Review report. These reports and recommendations will be brought forward to Committee of Whole at the next special budget meeting scheduled for November 24, 2020.

In addition to updated information from staff the municipality is seeking input from the community. A 2021 budget survey will be published next week. The results from the survey will help to identify priority areas for residents and how they would like to see user fees and tax dollars spent. The results from the public survey will be presented to Committee of the Whole for consideration at the November 24th special budget meeting.
The steps in the 2021 budget include:

1. Staff put together the draft 2021 budget (completed in summer 2020)
2.  Weekly budget information/spotlight pieces published on a weekly basis (commenced September 2020)
3. Treasurer presents the draft version of the budget to Committee of the Whole (completed September 29, 2020)
4. Department Heads present their detailed draft department budgets at special budget meetings (Completed October 13 and 15, 2020)
5. Public survey launched (week of October 19)
6. Additional meeting of draft 2021 budget presented to Committee of the Whole. This will include results from public survey and staff recommendations (November 24, 2020)
7. Staff to make any additional changes to budget based on recommendations from the November 24th meeting (completed in November/early December)
8. Final 2021 budget presented to Committee of the Whole (December 8, 2020)
9.  Final 2021 budget approved by Council (targeted for December 15, 2020)